July 30

Psalm 100

All men are exhorted to praise the Lord because He made us and we are His.

INSIGHT

Psalm 100 is perhaps the finest example of a praise psalm in the Bible. The righteous heart pours forth a spontaneous stream of undefiled praise. First, he calls upon all men everywhere to praise the Lord. Then he identifies the relationship which God has with His children. We are not our own; He has made us. “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (v. 3). Next he calls for us to praise God again: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (v. 4). Give thanks. Bless Him. Then he finishes by listing attributes of God. God is good; He loves forever. Make this psalm your personal psalm of praise.

PRAYER

Offer the Lord your praise that He is good and loves us forever:
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful….
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite….
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God…
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy…
He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 147:1, 5, 7, 11, 20).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:
Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins (Psalm 25:16-18).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Greater love for others
• Missions in the Middle East
• Elderly members of your family

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12).